California DMV blamed for teen’s car scam — as $60K Mercedes vanishes overnight

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A California teenager who blew his $58,000 college fund on a Mercedes-Benz has been left with nothing after the luxury car was repossessed in an apparent scam – despite the DMV repeatedly assuring him the deal was legitimate.

High school senior Arrod Berjis, 17, bought the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG for $58,000 after spotting it on Autotrader, believing he could fix it up, enjoy driving it and then sell it for a profit.

But before handing over his savings, Berjis said he went to the DMV with the seller to check the car’s title and make sure there were no outstanding liens.

After spending three month fixing it up, he found a buyer willing to pay $75,000 for the car – only for the vehicle to vanish before the sale.

A DMV employee repeatedly assured him everything was in order, while a Carfax report also showed no liens, according to Berjis.

“I get this car at under market value and I get to enjoy it while I also get to fix it and then I can sell it for a profit and add that to my college fund. So that was very, you know, it was a win-win,” Berjis told ABC7.

But his dream deal turned into a nightmare when the Mercedes suddenly vanished, with Berjis first contacting the Los Angeles Police Department after assuming it had been stolen. But the LAPD directed him to a towing company, where he discovered the car had been repossessed at the direction of online used-car retailer, Carvana.

“They basically told me that ‘we were ordered to take this car by Carvana,’” Berjis told ABC7.

When Berjis returned to the DMV demanding answers, he said officials took possession of his original title.

Berjis told ABC7 that a DMV employee admitted paperwork from a previous owner may have been overlooked during the title transfer, allowing a lien to be mistakenly released and a new title issued that was ultimately invalid.

LAPD detectives are now investigating the apparent fraud, but Berjis said the seller used a fake identity and fraudulent paperwork, making it difficult to track down the person responsible.

The DMV told ABC7 it could not comment because of the ongoing investigation, while Carvana had not responded to the station’s request for comment.

The California Post also reached out to the DMV and Carvana but did not immediately hear back.

Berjis is now hoping Carvana will return the Mercedes or reimburse him for the $58,000 he lost.

Without the money, which he spent four years saving, he fears he may have to delay his college education.

“I feel like I’ve lost all hope,” Berjis told ABC7.

“It was a big amount of money that I had saved up over the last four years of high school, which was, you know, all meant to go to the goal of going to college and so that was the end game for it and it will definitely delay that and hold it back.”

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